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Located in the middle of the quiet town of Wheeler, Oregon the Tsunami Grill is one of the best options for lunch or dinner in the local area. Situated right on the Nehalem bay / river, they have seating options inside and out, with amazing views of the bay estuary. Wheeler is a small town in between Nehalem and Rockaway Beach, along the Oregon Coast highway. There are several antique shops in the town to browse with cool and unique stuff. The public boat launch for the town of wheeler is next door and stays busy during the spring and fall salmon runs making for always something to watch when sitting out on the deck enjoying a cold one. There is a good chance to watch an angler catch a chinook or coho salmon while eating out on the back deck overlooking the water as the Tsuanami Bar Grill is located right in front of a known fish holding spot.

Serving traditional American favorites like a cheeseburgers and coast specialties like clam chowder make it a perfect fit for most groups. If you like Asian inspired food than certainly consider checking out the rice and BBQ pork dish, it is phenomenal and comes with a side of veggies. The spring rolls and spicy dipping sauce are a personal favorite, especially when you just need a little appetizer to snack on with a glass of beer or wine.

Enjoying the View

BBQ Pork with Rice and Side Vegetables

Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries

Asian Spring Rolls with Sweet and Spicy Sauce

The pricing is reasonable for a place on the coast with a great view and good food. The service is excellent, always kept our drinks full and food came out at an acceptable pace.

Grab a drink in the bar or sit out on the patio deck looking at the river and just relax.

Two years ago, Japan experienced one of the most memorable events in the history of tragic incidents. Massive cries from people were heard, lives were lost and shattered, families were broken down and separated, and houses were swept. This was known as the great east Japan earthquake.

Even though it was in Japan where the earthquake and tsunami struck, neighboring countries became affected due to the strength that this disaster brought. Russia and Papua New Guinea evacuated thousands of residents, the Philippines experienced very high waves causing flood an damage to coastal areas, houses along Indonesia were destroyed, icebergs in Antarctica were broken down, odd as it may seem, a motorcycle and soccer ball were found in Canada and Alaska respectively, and lastly, most of California and all of Oregon experienced the same disaster which brought severe damages to the docks.

This experience left a mark in the hearts and minds of all people and served as a reminder to always be prepared and to expect the unexpected. One of the reminders of this tragic incident is the washing up of a tidal wave debris which is a derelict Japanese vessel alleged to be Japanese on Gleneden Beach in February, as well as the arrival of a 70 foot dock on Agate Beach in Newport last June. That is why a Tsunami roadshow will be held in Oregon in the month of March to teach people survival skills such as preparations for disaster and emergency skills. According to officials, what happened in Japan is threatening to happen in Oregon since it is located on the earthquake fault Cascadia Subduction Zone.

This preparedness presentation will be very beneficial for the people of this coast when disaster comes. Even though we cannot change the course and disaster that Mother Nature will bring, we can still prevent the degree of damage it may cause by having the survival skill and the preparedness through physical aspects and have the right attitude towards it. Who knows, when this disaster comes, we will write our survival story at the end. As they say, there is always a rainbow after every rain.

The schedule for the Tsunami Preparedness Presentations is below:
March 11: Seaside
Broadway Middle School Library,1120 Broadway St. Seaside, Ore., from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

The tsunami that devastated Japan over a year ago was an incomprehensible disaster for Japan. The consequences there will not be fully understood for many years. Unfortunately, some of the danger is landing on the Oregon Coast.

The 66 foot floating dock that washed up on Agate Beach in Newport brought danger with it. First of all, it arrived without having been detected. This could have been a tragedy for a fishing boat or any other boat that inadvertently got in its path. Coastal residents are being encouraged to quickly collect and dispose of any debris they see. So far there is no system in place for tracking things like the dock. Fishermen in particular are concerned about what would happen at night when they would not be able to see something in the water. Lives might be lost.

The other serious concern is the very real possibility that invasive species carried by the debris will thrive along Oregon’s Coast. Approximately 13 pounds of living organisms were found by Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center scientists. The scientists found living barnacles, mussels, starfish, urchins, anemones, worms, limpets, snails, and algae – dozens of species. Scientists identified 30 species of plants and animals attached to the dock and there could easily been more. Workers from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife moved quickly to remove and bury as much as they could scrape off the dock. Once that task was complete, they used blow torches to burn off whatever remained.

Most of the creatures and plants found are native to Asia. No one knows whether or not they could live in Oregon’s waters, but they survived over a year in the open ocean. Although the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife moved quickly to remove the non-native organisms, it may have been too late before the dock even reached the shore. The organisms and their eggs or larvae may have gotten into Oregon waters as the dock came on shore.

Plus there are other ways for invasive organisms to get to Oregon. For instance, they could arrive in the ballast water that ships use to keep balanced. Water is pumped into the hulls of ships at their port of origin, and discharged when they arrive at their destination. This water could easily contain invasive species since it is not treated in any way. As long as we continue to import goods by sea, there will be danger that either in their ballast water or attached to their surfaces they will bring invasive species.

The organism the scientists found on the dock appeared to be not only healthy, but also reproducing. Among the organism were three that have caused serious problems in other places: Northern Pacific star fish, Japanese shore crabs, and brown algae (used to make miso soup). These three invaders alone could devastate local sea life along the Oregon Coast.

The organisms arriving from Japan could have a horrible impact on the ecology of the Oregon Coast. Hopefully, unlike the horror of the tsunami the killed so many people in Japan, there will be no loss of human life.Article written by Mary Boyer

Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast is an incredibly beautiful place. This tiny town, with less than 1,700 residents, plays host to more than 750,000 visitors each year. Cannon Beach is surrounded by beauty: the ocean, mountains, and Ecola Creek. The debris from the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan threatens Cannon Beach as well as all of the other beautiful beaches up and down the west coast.

The tsunami debris that is making its way to the coast of Oregon is a threat to all the things that are important to the people living in Cannon Beach, and the rest of the Oregon Coast. The city of Cannon Beach provides clean-up along its 4 miles of coastline twice each week. Many local residents pick up garbage as they go about their daily lives. When the tsunami debris arrives the mass of debris may be overwhelming. SOLVE (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism) bags are available in Cannon Beach at city hall and at the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce for anyone who wants to pick up debris.

Scientists believe that most of the debris from the Japanese tsunami will arrive in the fall storms. What is washing up right now is only the beginning. The State of Oregon set up a hotline began operation on June 29th. Anyone seeing debris that needs to be picked up is asked to call 211.

The tsunami debris clean-up is predicted to be very expensive. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration will be providing Oregon with $50,000 to help with the project. Unfortunately, the cost to dispose of the dock that has already washed on shore is estimated to cost $85,000. The cost to run the hotline for 2 years is projected to be $100,000. Debris disposal will probably be at least $100,000.

The State Parks Department has rented 32 steel waste containers as drop off containers for debris. Debris will be accepted if it is in a SOLVE bag. The Parks Department has placed containers in every county along the Oregon Coast. Beach visitors are asked to pick up any trash they find that will fit in a SOLVE bag. Anything too large to fit in a bag should be reported to the hotline. Anything that has living creatures on it should be reported immediately and if possible moved above the high tide line.

Four non-profit groups (CoastWatch, Surfrider Foundation, SOLVE and Washed Ashore) have joined to form the Oregon Marine Debris Team. They hope to organize volunteers to monitor the coast, report debris, and help with clean-up projects.

The approaching tsunami debris threatens the entire Oregon Coast. The natural beauty found in Cannon Beach, and along the rest of the Oregon Coast, is at risk. The debris will not only make the beaches trashy, it may threaten the lives on the creatures that live in the ocean, along the shores, and in the streams and rivers that empty into the ocean.Article written by Mary Boyer

Visitors to the Oregon Coast this summer have the chance of encountering debris that is starting to show up off shore and on the beaches of Oregon. While the initial debris that is showing up is likely only the start of what is to come as the currents carry the items closer to shore. While much of the debris will be indistinguishable junk such as foam and other chunks of plastic.

Already a very large dock coated with non native species washed ashore near Newport, Or. this is an example of the strange and large sized items that are floating out in the ocean from this devestating disaster and is a reason for boaters to be careful this summer when navigating the water offshore. Japanese Dock Infomration

Some fisherman have been reporting large tracts of debris in the water as well, as finding one of the more prized finds a green glass fishing float.

Keep your eyes open when making your favorite early morning beach walking and you might stumble onto something that has come adrift. For more information on the tsunami debris off the coast.

Remember that the debris from the tsunami is a real representation of the absolute destruction that was caused across the Pacific in Japan and many of the things washing ashore were part of peoples lives and means to earn a lively hood. Check out the story below about a man that lost his motorcycle during the tsunami and the people that found it washed up on their shore were able to track him down.

Of course the random glass float with no numbers or names is something that you can just keep and treasure as a reminder of the power of nature if you are ever so lucky to score the ultimate beach combing prize.